


Accidents Happen

by Dontknowmyname



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Big Brother Dean, Brotherly Angst, Brotherly Love, Gen, Hospitalized Sam Winchester, Hurt Sam Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-25 01:57:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17715869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dontknowmyname/pseuds/Dontknowmyname
Summary: Years of sparring had made the brothers a nearly perfect match, but accidents still happen.





	Accidents Happen

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for any grammatical errors or incorrect medical information.

One of Dean’s favorite things about the bunker was having an actually a room specifically designed for sparring. When they were younger, their father didn’t care if it was below zero or above a hundred degrees. They had a strict routine to follow, and nothing was getting in their way. While Dean wasn’t as regimented as their father, they still made the most of this new space. 

The room wasn’t huge, but it had a large plastic mat in the middle, which saved them from a lot of scrapes and bruises. There were aged posters of self-defensive moves hanging on the wall and a collection of old boxing gloves that had certainly seen better days. 

Of course, Sam wasn’t as big of a fan as Dean. He had his own workout routine, which Dean teased him for frequently. The guy woke up early nearly every morning and went for a run outdoors. Rain or shine, he laced up his off-brand sneakers and ran his crazy ass five miles in under 40 minutes. As much as Dean gave Sam shit for it, he was rather envious of his brother’s endurance.

“How was your run, chicken legs?” Dean asked as Sam walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. The guy wasn’t even out of breath. It was unhuman if you asked Dean.

Sam rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his sweaty hair, “It’s a beautiful day. Maybe getting a little sun would be good for you.”

“Sunlight is overrated,” Dean argued. “I’ll stick to my coffee and online newspaper.”

Sam peered over Dean’s shoulder obviously checking if he was actually reading a newspaper. Without even thinking, Dean tilted the screen closed just a bit so Sam couldn’t see, even though he had no reason to this time. He glared at his brother until Sam finally turned away and headed to the coffee maker. Sam poured himself a cup of coffee with a knowing smirk before walking out of the kitchen. 

“Hey, Sam,” Dean hollered, “see you in 10 minutes!”

He heard Sam mumble something and he smiled. Yesterday he had taken Sam down a little quicker than usual, which honestly concerned him. He was worried that, while his brother’s legs were growing more muscular every day, it may be possible his reaction time had slowed. There was no room for that in their line of work, so Dean was determined to whip his brother back into shape. 

Dean finished off the rest of his coffee and rinsed out his mug. He walked into his room and took off his robe, hanging it on the back of his door before pulling on a pair of sweat pants. Back in the day, Dean would have just jumped right into training, but he knew he was getting older and his body just didn’t respond the same way it used to. Now a days, he always took a few minutes to stretch out his muscles. 

Surprisingly, by the time Dean made it to the sparring hall, Sam was already there and seemingly ready to go. The bags under his eyes didn’t go unnoticed by the older brother, but Dean chalked it up to the early morning wake-up call after returning late from a hunt. 

“Let’s get this over with.” Sam sighed. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on you.” Dean smirked and then kicked his leg out, swiping Sam right off his feet. “Or will I?”

“I’m only doing this to shut you up.” Sam shook his head as he accepted the hand Dean extended to him before throwing a halfhearted punch in Dean’s direction. 

“At least put a little effort into it, Sammy.” He teased as he dodged left, wrapped his right leg around to lock up Sam’s left leg and placed his right hand on his brother’s neck before swiftly bringing him to the floor. “This is too easy for me.” 

The younger brother kicked out of the hold, pushing Dean back a few steps before jumping up onto his feet. He threw another punch, but Dean blocked that one just as easily, throwing one back in return. 

They continued on for a long while, throwing one punch after another, but neither seemed to get the upper hand on the other. Although Dean still believed Sam was a bit sluggish, he had pepped up a bit since yesterday, so Dean wasn’t as concerned. 

Dean decided he could turn it up a notch, seeing as Sam was more alert this time. The next punch Sam threw, Dean went all in. He thought Sam was ready. He grabbed his brother’s arm, twisted it, and went to carefully kick at the back of Sam’s knee in an attempt to send him forward, onto the mat. However, Dean regretfully misjudged Sam’s position, which sent Dean into a battle with gravity. 

His careful kick turned into a sloppy jab, which landed on the side of Sam’s left leg and was much harder than he had intended. Everything after that seemed to happen in slow motion. Sam fell forward as expected, but his painful cry tore through Dean’s entire being.

“Jesus, Sam,” Dean yelled as he dropped to his brother’s side. “That is not what I meant to do at all.”

Sam couldn’t even bring himself to respond as he threw his whole body back onto the mat and covered his face with his hands. Dean couldn’t see any obvious injuries to the leg, which actually concerned him even more. 

“I’m so sorry, Dude. Can you stand?” He held a hand out to his brother, but Sam didn’t respond. “Alright then, Let me take a look at it.” 

He moved toward his brother’s leg, gently placing his hand underneath Sam’s knee and lifting it slightly. Sam screamed and attempted to turn onto his side, away from the offending hands, but Dean managed to keep him from doing more damage. 

“Sammy, I think we’re going to need a doctor to look at this,” Which just drove a stake even further into Dean’s heart. “I fucked up, man.” 

“J-just give m-me a m-minute,” Sam mumbled softly through clenched teeth. “I’ll b-be fine.”

Dean had his obvious doubts, but he certainly wasn’t going to push right this second. He had done enough damage for now. Instead, he quietly stood up, patted Sam’s arm gently, and headed into the kitchen for an icepack. 

When he returned, Sam had somehow managed to make it to the bench and pulled himself up onto it. Dean could tell from Sam’s ashy complexion that it took everything out of him to move. His brow was still creased with pain and the guy who didn’t sweat after a 5 mile run was certainly doing so now. 

Dean quickly closed the distance between them and dropped to his knees. He lifted the ice and carefully rolled up Sam’s pant leg, grimacing when he noticed the the joint already beginning to swell. Trying to hide his reaction, Dean ducked his head and wrapped the ice pack around Sam’s knee. It definitely didn’t look good, but trying to convince his brother to see a doctor wasn’t going to be easy. 

Having dealt with knee injuries before, Dean knew they could try some in-home treatments. However, he also knew that there was a very good chance none of them would work and they’d just end up at the hospital anyway. He preferred to get it out of the way now instead of waiting and hoping it didn’t get worse. Especially considering that neither one of them had great knees to begin with. 

Seeing the pain still creasing Sam’s features, Dean knew the decision was easy. It didn’t matter what Sam wanted, he knew what his brother needed. He slowly stood up and patted Sam on the good knee before heading toward the kitchen. 

Dean shook out four ibuprofen and filled a glass of water before quickly heading back to his brother. He held the glass out first, waiting for Sam to take it before shoving the pills at him. Of course, Sam gave him that questioning look, wanting to know exactly what Dean was offering him. As if Dean would ever give him something that could hurt him.

“It’s just ibuprofen, Dude,” Dean shoved the pills toward Sam again, dumping them into his hand when Sam finally opened his palm. “The hospital will probably give you something stronger.”

“No,” Sam argued, just as Dean suspected he would. “No hospital. I can just ice it here and I’ll be fine.”

“Sam,” Dean stared at his brother. “I’m not arguing with you. You’re going. So either you help me get your gigantic ass to the car, or I’ll knock you out and drag you there myself.”

“You’re being dramatic,” Sam complained. “It’s just a little sprain.”

“I don’t give a shit!” Dean growled. “I hope it is a sprain, but we’re getting it checked out. End of story.”

Dean smiled when Sam sighed, knowing he had won. Sam, however, lowered his head and ran his hands through his hair as Dean took a seat next to him. Dean gave his brother a moment before he patted Sam on the thigh and threw Sam’s arm over his shoulder. 

“Let’s go,” Dean slowly stood, helping Sam to his feet as well. “I’ve got you.”

They carefully made their way to the garage, Dean taking on as much of his brother’s weight as Sam would allow. He dug in his pocket for the keys, unlocking the door with his left hand while keeping his grip tight on Sam. 

Once the door was opened, he attempted to shift Sam and help his brother into the car, but Sam pushed him away. Instead, Sam held firmly onto the car door and slowly lowered himself into the car. 

“Alright, tough guy,” Dean rolled his eyes at his brother’s stoics, but still helped him lift his injured leg. “You good?”

Sam just nodded and pushed Dean away again, closing the door with a scowl. The slamming door physically hurt Dean. His little brother had every right to be pissed, but Dean felt guilty enough as it was without Sam literally shutting him out. 

As Dean climbed into the car, he glanced over at Sam who kept his head down and his hand holding the ice pack to his knee. The pain was still obvious on his brother’s face, and Dean knew he was making the right decision, even if Sam wasn’t in agreement.

“Look, Sam,” Dean kept his grip tight on the steering wheel and never took his eyes off the road. “I’m s…”

Sam lifted his head and turned toward Dean, “Just stop, please.” 

Dean nodded curtly, gripping the wheel even tighter as his foot pushed harder on the accelerator. This wasn’t the first time Dean had hurt his brother. Hell, Sam had even gotten Dean good a couple of times too. For some reason though, this seemed different.

When they arrived at the hospital, Dean made Sam sit down as he checked his brother in at the front desk. He took all the paperwork that was handed to him in exchange for Sam’s insurance card and headed back to the waiting area. 

Sam sat silently beside him, his head leaning uncomfortably against the wall behind them. Dean didn’t need to ask Sam any questions. He knew the answers to everything on the forms, but the silence was driving him insane. 

“Hey,” Dean swatted gently at Sam’s leg. “What should I put for ‘cause of injury’, ‘My brother’s an idiot’?”

Sam rolled his head toward Dean and gave him another aggravated glare, but never responded. It was a lame attempt at lightening the mood, but Dean had to try. He didn’t exactly expect much, but a smile would have been nice.

“Are you okay,” Dean internally berated himself for asking such a stupid question, but he had to figure out what was going through his brother’s head. 

“You mean besides my knee blowing up like a balloon?” He figured he deserved Sam’s sarcastic response, but it wasn’t what he was hoping for. 

“Yes, Smartass,” Dean put the clipboard down for a second and turned toward his brother. “I get that I fucked up, but…”

“Dean,” Sam interrupted him, sitting straight up with a grimace. “Enough with the guilt. It was an accident. It wasn’t the first and it certainly won’t be the last, but it was nothing more than an accident.”

“Then why are you shooting daggers at me and giving me the silent treatment?” He knew he wasn’t imagining Sam’s attitude and he also knew that his mood wasn’t caused by pain. 

Sam sighed and leaned back against the wall again. “I don’t like hospitals,” Sam whispered.

“No one does, Sam.”

“I know, but it’s different.”

“Sure,” Dean agreed. “Most people don’t have as many visits as us.”

“Look, it’s stupid,” Sam ran a shaky hand over his face and sighed. “Can you just finish the papers so we can get it over with.” 

Of course, Dean knew when to back off and give Sam space. He might not always do it, but he knew when. This time he decided to actually give Sam the space he wanted, but only because the younger man seemed too caught up in his own thoughts. 

Dean finished filling out all the forms and returned them to the receptionist. She took the clipboard from him with a flirtatious smile and handed the insurance card back as well. Any other day, Dean would be following up on that grin, but he had a job to do. A job he’s been doing since he was four. A job Dean was pretty good at most of time.

~~~*~~~

Sam was taken for an MRI over an hour ago and Dean was starting to get nervous. He had been thankful that Sam agreed to take the stronger meds when the nurse offered them, but Dean also knew Sam had some nasty side effects from medicine in the past.

What if Sam had an allergic reaction to the meds? What if his little brother’s throat was closing up right now and Dean wasn’t there to help. Of course Dean was pretty certain Sam wouldn’t be in need of antibiotics, so he shouldn’t need to worry about any of the -cillin drugs. However, he never knew when his brother would decide to add a new medication to his list of allergens. 

When the door finally swung open, Dean was pulled from his internal ramblings and looked up as the nurse pushed Sam’s bed back into the room. Dean had to stare at his brother’s broad chest to make sure Sam was still breathing as the younger brother laid motionless.

“Is he okay?” Dean asked, knowing it was another dumb question, but he was thankful when the nurse played along. 

“He’s just sleeping,” The nurse spoke softly, his eyes focused on Dean. “He got a bit anxious before getting the images, but the medicine kicked in and he relaxed. The doctor should be in shortly. If you need anything, just call.”

Once the nurse left, Dean leaned forward, glancing at his brother and smiling at how relaxed Sam looked. Of course it took some strong meds to finally ease a bit of that worry and angst the younger Winchester constantly carried around with him. 

A knock on the door brought Dean out of his thoughts and he looked up to see the doctor walk into the room. The young woman was beautiful, definitely Dean’s type, and in any other situation, he would have been all over that. His libido would have to wait, at least until Sam was awake and could give Dean shit about his inability to think with his upstairs brain. 

“Mr. Campbell,” She held her hand out to Dean with a smile, obviously noticing the delay in his reaction. “I’m Dr. Fink. You are Sam’s brother, correct?”

“Yes, Ma’am,” he nodded. “What’s the verdict?”

“Sam has a tear in his meniscus,” Dr. Fink got right to the point, Dean liked that. “There’s several ways we can treat it, but I strongly recommend surgery. It’s obvious Sam is an active individual and surgery has the best success rate.” 

“What are the other options?”

She didn’t seem surprised at the question and quickly continued, “We can start with the basic RICE treatment, but that would most likely lead to physical therapy, which is the second option. The third option is to give Sam a cortisone shot, which would also be another temporary fix. Surgery would have the best results and give Sam the best opportunity for a full recovery.” 

“I get what you’re saying,” Dean ran a hand over his face and glanced at Sam, “but I can’t make that decision without him.” 

“I completely understand,” Dr. Fink smiled again and Dean licked his lips, forcing himself to fight his urges. “For now, I’d like to keep Sam over night, just to watch his blood pressure and make sure the swelling goes down. When Sam wakes up, have the nurse page me and I’ll come back to discuss the treatment options with him.”

“Thanks, Doc,” Dean nodded at her, a flirtatious smile taking over his face despite his best efforts. 

She returned the smile, her chestnut hair falling into her face and she ducked her head. Dean could see the blush warming her cheeks, but it quickly faded as she gathered herself and shook her head. He knew she had slipped for a brief second, but she quickly turned on the professionalism again and she walked out of the room with a nod. 

Dean sat back in the uncomfortable chair and dug his phone from his pocket to check the time. The drugs would be wearing off soon and he knew from experience that Sam would be extremely disoriented when he awoke. Until then, Dean kicked his feet up on the bed beside Sam’s braced leg and closed his eyes.

~~~*~~~

It felt as though he had only been asleep for a few minutes when he was startled awake. He lifted his phone from his lap and saw that it was 6pm, which meant that Dean had apparently been sleeping for at least 2 hours. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and took in his surroundings.

When his gaze finally made it to the bed, there were a pair of hazel eyes staring back at him with confusion and worry. That worry free, relaxed man from earlier had disappeared so quickly as pain set in and Sam was thrown right back into their rough reality. 

“Are you okay?” Sam asked. 

“Dude,” Dean rubbed at his eyes and shook his head. “How long have you been awake?”

“Not long, maybe about an hour.”

“Did you get more meds?”

“No,” Sam shook his head. “I turned them down.”

“Why would you turn down the good shit?” Dean asked, eyeing his brother’s reaction very closely.

“I don’t need them,” Sam’s eyes darted away from Dean, staring down at his hands as they rubbed at his thighs. “I’m f—“

“Yeah, you’re fine,” Dean rolled his eyes. “That’s what you keep saying, but I call bullshit. Did you even speak with the doctor yet?”

“Torn meniscus. She recommended surgery.”

“And you’re going to have it.”

“Dean, I’d be laid up for weeks.”

“But you won’t be a gimp,” Dean argued with a smirk. “It’s the best option, Sam, and you know it.”

“Yeah, I know.” Sam fisted the sheets and rested his head back against the bed. 

“What’s the issue then, Dude? I know it’s not the down time. You’d kill to be on book duty for a few weeks.” Not to mention, Dean could sense his little brother’s fear. 

Sam was quiet for a few moments, his hands still holding tightly to the sheets. When he finally looked up to meet Dean’s gaze, the older brother felt his heart drop into his stomach. 

“I can’t lose control again.” Sam kept his eyes on Dean and Dean didn’t dare to look away. “I need to be in control, Dean.”

“I get it, Sammy, I do.” He placed his hand on top of his brother’s, waiting until Sam relaxed his grip. “This is different. Hell, I’ll ward the god damn operating room if I have to, but nothing is going to hurt you.”

Sam turned his head toward Dean and raised an eyebrow. “Well, besides the doctors, but you know what I mean. Plus, you’ll be sedated. You won’t feel a thing.” 

“What if I react to the anesthesia?” Of course Sam would ask that. Leave it to him to pick at Dean’s fears when Dean was trying to make him feel better. “‘Cause you know that could happen.”

“Believe me, I know.” Dean grimaced, remembering the last time Sam went under the knife with complications. “But I made sure they knew all about your weird reactions and unfortunate allergies. They’ve got it under control.”

“Alright,” Sam reluctantly agreed as he attempted to adjust his position on the bed. He did an absolutely terrible job hiding his pain and Dean noticed right away. “I’ll do it.”

“Good, because I wasn’t going to give you a choice,” Dean tapped Sam’s thigh with a wide grin, enjoying the fact that he won another argument. “Now you can accept the meds too.”

“Dean.” His brother actually growled, frustration dripping from the words

“Man, you’re obviously in pain.”

“Yeah, thanks Sherlock.” 

“Not funny,” Dean glared. “Just take the meds, please.”

“The doctor said I could leave tomorrow.”

“Don’t change the subject, Sam.”

The younger brother laughed, “I’d just prefer to wait until we get back to the bunker.”

Dean nodded in understanding and sat back in the chair again. He kicked his feet up on the bed beside Sam’s knee brace, careful not the get too close to the injured joint. The fear in Sam’s eyes had faded drastically and Dean was rather proud that he still had the ability to calm his brother’s nerves. Especially since Sam wouldn’t be laid up if it wasn’t for him.

His brother was the most courageous person he knew, and that included their father, but after everything he’s been through, Sam certainly had a few nicks in his armor. Dean recognized it and was fully prepared to help Sam repair them, but it wasn’t often that Sam gave Dean the opportunity to help. The youngest Winchester was just as guilty of hiding things as he always claimed Dean was. 

It was in moments like this that Dean realized there was still a scared little boy hiding away somewhere deep. A boy who still needed his big brother. And when he made his rare appearance, Dean was more than happy to oblige. 

He smiled as he glanced back up at Sam and noticed the younger brother’s eyes drifting close. Sam was fighting sleep, an unmedicated, uncomfortable sleep. The fact that Sam, who was just moments ago terrified of losing control, was allowing himself to dose made Dean realize just how much Sam trusted him. 

He was prepared, and always had been, to do anything necessary to keep that trust. Even if it meant he would have to sneak into ward an operating room, against angels and demons, just to ensure his brother’s safety. It was all in a days work.


End file.
